Tips For The Harvard Business School Interview

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Harvard Business School

Tips for the Harvard Business School Interview

Securing an invitation to an MBA interview is not just a milestone; it’s a resounding validation of your application’s potential. An MBA interview invitation signifies that the admissions committee recognizes compelling qualities in your application, which means you’re one step closer to the finish line.

As Harvard Business School extended interview invitations to select applicants on Wednesday, Devi Vallabhaneni, an HBS graduate, former HBS MBA interviewer, and admissions consultant at mbaMission, offered insights into what applicants can expect with the HBS interview and tips on how to ace it.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER

HBS MBA interviews are typically conducted by someone on the HBS admissions board. According to Vallabhaneni, HBS interviewers come to the interview well-prepared—they’ll have read your application from start-to-finish and may even have researched your company and extracurriculars.

“When I was on the HBS Admissions Board, I would spend a few hours preparing for an HBS interview,” Vallabhaneni says. “It is something I took incredibly seriously, and I wanted to make sure I had a number of questions prepared ahead of time but also understood enough about the candidate to change up my line of questioning, depending on how the conversation went.”

A CASUAL CONVERSATION

The actual duration of the HBS interview is 30 minutes. During this time, the interviewer will learn more about you in the context of a conversation. Vallabhaneni says applicants should expect a casual, yet personal conversation.

“The HBS interview really is a conversation—a high-level, cogent, yet personal dialogue between two people,” Vallabhaneni says. “The best way to think of the interview is as a chat with a C-level executive at your company or with a business school dean. They both know a lot about business and can understand you quickly. Your HBS interviewer is the same.”

KNOW YOUR STORY

To prepare for the interview, be sure to master your story—from the big accomplishments to the little intricacies. Vallabhaneni even recommends adding some personal touches to your story.

“…maybe you wrote about your love of Chinese cookery in the personal section of your resume, but since then, you have not given another thought to the last cooking class you took—which, by the way, was a good story two years ago,” Vallabhaneni says. “Although I was never specifically trying to find weak spots in interviewees’ stories, I would sometimes start by asking about interests and hobbies they had listed that sounded interesting, so I just might have asked you about your Chinese cooking. Before your interview, familiarize yourself with your entire application, even the parts you think are trivial.”

Sources: mbaMission, Harvard Business School

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